What we learned from the CanMNT's September friendlies against the US, Mexico
The CanMNT were back in action for the first time since the Copa América this week, as they took on the US and Mexico in a pair of friendlies in the United States.
There, they were looking for a few things out of those matches - continued improvement from this summer, some strong individual performances, and if possible, some positive results.
Overall, they did well to tick most, if not all, of those boxes across a pair of strong showings, as they defeated the US 2-1 in Kansas before drawing Mexico 0-0 in Arlington.
With that, they continued their steady upward trajectory under head coach Jesse Marsch, who did well to build on an impressive but busy summer in these two matches.
Pretty good window all things considered for the #CanMNT:
— Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic (@AlexGangueRuzic) September 11, 2024
-1 win, 1 draw vs Concacaf rivals
-Marsch's tactical blueprint continues to take hold
-Some big performances from key players
-Lots of guys made the most of audition opportunities
-3 new debuts (Afrifa, Saliba, Sigur)
Now, they’ll look to carry that into the October window, where at least one other friendly awaits them, before getting back into the swing of competitive matches this November.
Before looking too far ahead, however, here’s a look back at what we learned from this window.
Ahmed, Choinière headline standout players:
The great thing about friendlies? It can be a chance for new players to get a look, as managers might be more inclined to let some different faces step up and earn opportunities that would have otherwise been hard to come by in competitive matches.
Certainly, this camp was a good chance for a few players to earn bigger roles, such as Ali Ahmed and Mathieu Choinière, who both featured for Canada at the Copa América, but spent most of the tournament as subs before earning starts in their last game, a third-place match against Uruguay where Canada rotated their squad heavily.
There, however, the pair impressed against a strong Uruguay side, which likely paved the way for them to start both games this window.
And to their credit, they made the most of this opportunity, as they were two of Canada’s best players in their respective starts.
First, there was Ahmed, who was a key piece at right wing for Canada, going 90 minutes against the US before putting in a 77-minute shift against Mexico. Not only that, but he was extremely lively in both games, too, finishing with four shots, four chances created, three completed dribbles, four touches in the opposition box and eight fouls won across both matches combined.
What's nice about Ali Ahmed playing on the RW is that he offers a two-pronged threat
— Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic (@AlexGangueRuzic) September 8, 2024
As seen in these stills, he is as comfortable tucking in and opening up space out wide as he is staying wide and attacking defenders 1v1. Makes him so tough to defend pic.twitter.com/9Y2m6dNXcY
Able to both run at defenders out wide and tuck in to play more centrally as a fourth midfielder, he was a tough matchup for full backs, who didn’t know if he’d run at them or drift inside to find space, which allowed Ahmed to thrive and open up space for himself and teammates.
Plus, he was responsible defensively, too, winning 20 out of 33 duels, making four tackles and 10 recoveries.
With that, he showed that he could be a strong candidate to start at right wing going forward with his versatility and overall ability, which is huge for him, as he’s been knocking on the door for Canada for the past 14 months after earning his debut at last summer’s Gold Cup.
Meanwhile, Choinière held things down in midfield this camp, as he went 90 against the US before going 62 minutes against Mexico, doing well to pair alongside Stephen Eustáquio in Canada’s double pivot.
Mathieu Choinière was excellent to start the game. He fits really nicely in that double pivot (as he did vs🇺🇾)
— Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic (@AlexGangueRuzic) September 8, 2024
He's secure in possession so he can drop deep and receive the ball, but he's also so good defensively. The energy he brings was key in breaking up some attacks
Offensively, he was active, completing 49 of 62 passes, creating four chances, completing six out of eight long balls and making 12 passes into the final third across both games, which was key.
Then, he was even better defensively, as he was aggressive off the ball, helping Canada press high up the field, making several good reads to help force opponents into danger.
All of a sudden, that’s put him in the mix to push for more minutes, showing that he could be considered in a midfield trio alongside Stephen Eustáquio and Ismaël Koné going forward, bringing a certain energy that could complement that pair nicely.
Otherwise, a few other names who stood out were Jacob Shaffelburg, who continued to shine for Canada with a nice goal against the US, Moïse Bombito, who cemented his status as a key piece at centre back, and Dayne St.Clair, who deputized nicely for starter Maxime Crépeau against Mexico.
That was key to see from all of them, as they’re all battling to earn more starts going forward, especially Shaffelburg and St.Clair, and they certainly gave Marsch lots to think about.
At the same time, it wasn’t just players battling to earn more minutes who shone, either, as some key Canadian pieces did well - Alphonso Davies was a force defensively across both games, while Jonathan David scored and assisted against the Americans and looked lively across both games, which was key to see.
And overall, it felt like hardly anyone set a foot wrong this camp, giving Marsch plenty to ponder as he looks to find his best team going forward. One thing’s for sure - after mostly sticking with one team to start Copa América, it feels like he’ll be changing his team a lot more often going forward, as he now knows he has several players he can rely upon to do a job.
Plus, more are on the way, as Marsch also handed three players debuts in this camp with Niko Sigur, Stephen Afrifa and Nathan Saliba, so that list could be soon to grow as he continues to embed more players into this team going forward. 
The tactical blueprint is coming together:
Of course, beyond the play of individuals, the big thing to watch this camp was Canada’s play as a team, as they will have also looked to use this camp as a chance to gain more familiarity with their tactical plan.
Having spent most of their first games learning on the fly after Marsch was only hired in May and thrust straight into preparation for the Copa América, this was the first chance for him to slow things down and properly work with this group.
And that had a big benefit on this team, as Canada showed some good things tactically, especially on the defensive side on the ball.
First, there was their press, as they especially suffocated the US with their pressure off the ball, even creating both of their goals through sequences initiated from their high press.
GOAL 🇨🇦
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) September 7, 2024
The #CanMNT's high press forces a turnover and it's JACOB SHAFFELBURG to go up 1-0 💥
(#WPIOOTBGW, #USMNT? 😅)
🔴 TUNE IN on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/IdUrsWFEe2
A staple of Marsch’s tactical plan, it’s expected that Canada does a lot more of that going forward, having not been able to press as much as they would’ve liked this summer as they onboarded their new system.
And that’s a good fit for this Canadian team, who is filled with players who are well-suited to play the aggressive, up-tempo defensive system that Marsch is looking to employ.
Otherwise, however, Canada was pretty good at defending as a whole, even when the US and Mexico bypassed their press. As a result, they allowed only 18 shots across 180 minutes this camp, doing well to limit their opponents to looks around their box.
That doesn’t mean all was perfect, as Canada did run out of steam in both games - 14 of the US and Mexico shots came in the second halves of these matches - but other than that, Canada was pretty strong defensively as a whole.
On the flip side, Canada will still have work to do offensively, as they were shut out for the sixth time in 10 games under Marsch against Mexico, which is something to watch out for.
They’ve got the pieces to be dangerous, and continue to threaten offensively, as they had 22 shots this camp, including 17 against the US, but they need to find a way to finish their chances more consistently.
Against the US, they could’ve easily won by multiple goals had they been more prolific, and they also let some chances go to waste against Mexico even though they generated just five shots in that one.
Speaking of that Mexico game, however, that’s also one thing for Canada to watch out for going forward - they did struggle to get going offensively against a Mexican side who did well to sit behind the ball and slow the game down, which has been a worry Canada has dealt with for a while now, pre-dating Marsch’s arrival.
GOAL 🇨🇦🇨🇦
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) September 7, 2024
It's JONATHAN DAVID 🥶
The #CanMNT go up 2-0 over the #USMNT as Jonathan David rounds out another turnover pounce 🇨🇦
🔴 TUNE IN on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/Inw4Ltk0H9
When Canada gets going in transition, they can be lethal, but breaking down set defences will be an area of focus that they’ll want to fix as they get set for what’s next, which will likely include a steady dose of low blocks from fellow Concacaf opponents.
For what it’s worth, David remains a key solution to that - with his goal and assist this camp, he’s now scored three times and assisted two goals under Marsch, meaning he’s been involved in 83% (5/6) of Canada’s goals under Marsch. Perhaps, David leading the line solo could be the way to get Canada going offensively, while opening up the opportunity for some other forwards to thrive in super sub roles, such as Cyle Larin and Tani Oluwaseyi, which could be a win-win for both. 
Canada set to make statement to Concacaf this fall:
Now, Canada will set their eyes toward the October window, where they’ll play Panama at BMO Field in Toronto for their lone official game of that camp, which also appears to include some sort of friendly against a club team based on hints dropped by Marsch this past week.
There, Canada will look to beat Panama to improve their seeding ahead of the Concacaf Nations League quarter-finals this fall, where they, the US, Mexico and Panama have all earned byes based on their Concacaf rankings.
Speaking of the Nations League, that feels like Canada’s next big goal to tackle once they get through these friendlies. As they showed this window, they feel confident they can go up against the top dogs in Concacaf right now, and that they’re the top team in the region right now.
How'd it feel to beat the U.S. for Jesse Marsch? 👀
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) September 7, 2024
🎙️ "I'd rather coach our team 100%, no questions asked – I'd much rather coach the #CanMNT than the #USMNT right now."
▶️ FULL PRESSER on OS YouTube pic.twitter.com/HE3rFjB2Ha
To prove that, however, they’ll need to go out and win the Nations League, which has been the best measuring stick in terms of assessing the hierarchy of this region over the past five years.
Especially after how Canada’s last Nations League campaign went, as they fell to Jamaica in the quarter-finals last fall, a result that forced them to qualify for the Copa América via a playoff, they’ll be hungry to reach their second-ever Nations League final next year, where they’ll want to win their first trophy since 2000.
Having proven that they can go toe-to-toe with top sides inside and outside Concacaf, even beating them on occasion, the next step in their evolution is to get their hands on some trophies, providing them with the experience they’ll need if they’re to make a run at the 2026 World Cup.
And as they showed this window, they look poised to chase after that goal, so keep an eye on them this November when they kick off their next Nations League journey.
